Progressive Retinal Atrophy

PRA: Sight-Stealing Genetic Disorder Leaves Dogs Blind, but Not Suffering

Among the many eye conditions that can affect dogs is one that isn't painful, but is nonetheless heartbreaking. Progressive Retinal Atrophy, or PRA, is a genetically inherited condition in which the eyes are basically "programmed" to go blind.PRA can appear in any breed of dog, and is equally prevalent in purebred and mixed-breed animals. It's usually transmitted through a recessive gene, meaning two carriers of the gene must mate in order to produce an affected pup. The exceptions to this rule occur in Bull Mastiffs and Old English Mastiffs, where the PRA gene is dominant, so only one parent need have the gene in order to produce pups with PRA. Also, the gene is linked to gender in the Samoyed and Siberian Husky breeds. In these breeds, the disorder appears more often in males than females. [...]

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